Six Things We Learned from Orange Is the New Black’s Yael Stone

If you’re an avid Orange Is the New Black watcher, you’d posit that the red-lipped, West Side Story-obsessed inmate Lorna Morello is easily the most chipper of the Litchfield crew. The woman behind that sweet imprisoned character is even more sweet in real life: Sydney-born Yael Stone. When the pint-sized actress swung by our offices yesterday to chat about the show (season two premieres June 6!), she bequeathed us a box of Lamingtons—a chocolate sponge cake dessert that’s popular in her native Australia. “They are my favorite dessert ever!” she said. Scroll down to see five other things we learned from the actress.

2. She honed Morello’s accent by rehearsing it on video before her audition. “It’s an East Coast cocktail,” she said of her character’s Brooklyn-meets-Boston inflection.

3. She auditioned for the show the day after her wedding (she’s married to fellow TV star Dan Spielman of Offspring fame). “I was a little bit out of it,” she confessed. “And rough, which actually helped in the long run!”

4. She initially tried out for the part of Nicky Nichols, played by Natasha Lyonne, before landing her role as Morello.

5. The last episode of season one was shot at a real-life prison, as opposed to the show’s Rockland County set. “It was strange,” Stone said. “The prisoners were on the other side of the wall, dressed exactly like us.”

6. We can expect to hear Morello’s backstory in season two. “We learn a lot about her,” Stone revealed. “You’ll start to piece together why she made certain decisions.” It’s about time!